Grover Norquist: Chained CPI Violates Taxpayer Protection Pledge  —  WASHINGTON — Members of Congress who have pledged never to raise taxes will be breaking their promise if they support changing how the government measures inflation for Social Security and tax purposes.

At Howard University, Rand Paul Falsely Claims He Never Opposed 1964 Civil Rights Act  —  Following an awkward, earnest speech to an audience at Howard University, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) insisted several times that he did not oppose the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Top Republican Blasts Obama Budget As ‘Shocking Attack On Seniors’  —  Remember those warnings about how instead of welcoming President Obama's adoption of Chained CPI, Republicans would continue to deny him a budget deal and attack him for proposing to cut Social Security?

Anthony Weiner and Huma Abedin's Post-Scandal Playbook  —  One day in early February, I met Anthony Weiner and Huma Abedin for breakfast at the Gramercy Park Hotel, one of their regular joints, just a few blocks from their apartment on Park Avenue South.  The first thing Weiner said when I sat …

Republican Congressman Cites Biblical Great Flood To Say Climate Change Isn't Man-Made  —  “If you believe in the Bible, one would have to say the Great Flood is an example of climate change.  That certainly wasn't because man had overdeveloped hydrocarbon energy.”  —  View Video ›

Senators unveil deal on background checks  —  Sens. Joe Manchin and Pat Toomey unveiled a bipartisan deal to expand background checks for commercial gun purchases — including those at gun shows and online — Wednesday morning, opening a pathway for the biggest change in U.S. gun laws in nearly two decades.

Michelle Obama: ‘Hadiya Pendleton was me, and I was her’  —  First lady Michelle Obama held back tears Wednesday as she took a rare step into political debate, urging action to combat violence among young people in her hometown of Chicago and going so far as to suggest that she could have lost her life in urban violence.

Grassley Proposes Eliminating 3 Seats On Powerful Court To Keep Obama From Filling Them  —  As ThinkProgress has previously explained, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit is the second most powerful court in the country.  It's also a bastion …

The Power of Talking to Your Baby  —  By the time a poor child is 1 year old, she has most likely already fallen behind middle-class children in her ability to talk, understand and learn.  The gap between poor children and wealthier ones widens each year, and by high school it has become a chasm.

New Documents Suggest IRS Reads Emails Without a Warrant  —  Everyone knows the IRS is our nation's tax collector, but it is also a law enforcement organization tasked with investigating criminal violations of the tax laws.  New documents released to the ACLU under the Freedom of Information Act reveal …

AG sues florist who refused flowers to gay wedding  —  State Attorney General Bob Ferguson on Tuesday filed a consumer protection lawsuit against Arlene's Flowers & Gifts, a Richland florist that refused to supply flowers to the same-sex marriage of a longtime customer.

Mad Men  —  Who's more dangerous to Americans than Kim Jong Un?  —  America is rightly on edge.  When a man with the power to make life-or-death decisions affecting thousands of U.S. citizens recklessly shows contempt for decency and international norms of behavior, it is no wonder the American people would be both angry and fearful.

Senators' Group Reaches Deal on Immigration  —  WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of senators has largely agreed on a broad immigration bill that would require tough border measures to be in place before illegal immigrants could take the first steps to become American citizens …

Senate votes 87-11 to confirm Sally Jewell as secretary of the Interior  —  The Senate approved Sally Jewell to be the next Interior Secretary on Wednesday, placing her atop an agency at the center of intense political battles over energy throughout President Obama's tenure.

Photos: Bachmann aides hustle her out of Medicaid press conference  —  Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and State Senator Sean Nienow (R-Cambridge) held a joing news conference to discuss problems with Medicaid reimbursement rates paid to doctors in Minnesota.  Both are introducing legislation increasing accountability and transparency.

Mitch McConnell aide: ‘Gestapo’ tactics  —  Sen. Mitch McConnell's campaign manager charged Wednesday that whoever obtained audio of the Kentucky Republican's strategists discussing opposition research on Ashley Judd was engaging in “Gestapo kind of scare tactics.”